Arkema will be exhibiting at the MIDO tradeshow in Milan from February 8th to 10th 2025, the leading event in the eyewear industry.
Meet Arkema's material experts at Booth D07/09 Hall 4 and discover how Arkema is dedicated to offering a broad array of low-carbon solutions to frame manufacturers, recognizing that sustainability extends beyond simply decreasing the environmental impact of the entire supply chain.
Arkema relies on a unique expertise of over 75 years in chemistry derived from castor oil, a raw material of natural origin, to develop ranges of Advanced Bio-Circular ("ABC") materials used in the eyewear industry for frames for glasses, goggles, protective eyewear and other optical applications requires lightness, durability and recyclability.
Arkema will also showcase their wide range of innovative and bio-based solutions, including :
Bio-based Rilsan® Clear Rnew® transparent Polyamide
Arkema offers two major references, especially developed for the injection of frames:
Rilsan® Clear G850 Rnew®: flagship material of our range, this grade contains 45% bio-based carbon. It is especially designed for injection molding applications and ideally suited for high end eyewear frames.
Rilsan® Clear G820 Rnew®: this grade contains 62% bio-based carbon and provides outstanding chemical resistance. Offering a high flowability, this material can be injected even for challenging designs and is excellent in overmolding, even over itself.
Rilsan® PA11 Fine powders: 100% bio-based
When a compromise on transparency can be met, Rilsan® PA11 material offers a 100% bio-based solution for complete freedom of design and easy recycling.
And for 3D printing, Rilsan® PA11 powders exist and are the reference materials in powder bed fusion processes like laser sintering (LS). This technology is used for manufacturing small series of personalized and uniquely designed frames.
Arkema offers Polyamide 11 fine powders, providing flexibility, rigidity, and impact resistance that other 3D printing plastics cannot obtain while being 100% bio-based.
LEARN MORE ABOUT RILSAN® PA11 POWDER
READING, SUNGLASSES, KIDS or SPORTS
Frames for glasses, goggles, protective eyewear, and other optical applications require lightness and high impact resistance from transparent but flexible polymers. Arkema offers the widest portfolio of biobased options offering lightweight, high transparency, flexibility for comfort and chemical resistance.
FOCUS ON: Rilsan® Polyamide 11's carbon footprint reduction
In polyamide 11 production chain, Arkema uses bio-based raw materials coming from the castor plant. This is the main contributor to reduced carbon emissions vs fossil-based polyalides coming from scope 3 upstream.
Following the announcement in 2023 of reducing the carbon footprint to less than 2 kg of CO2 of our Polyamide 11, we implemented renewable electricity thoughout our plants. Now, we have achieved a new millestone for our castor-based Rilsan® PA11, from the beginning of 2025 the carbon footprint will reach 1.3 kg of CO2 per kg of product according to ISO14040, 14044 and 14067 standards.
Our common goal: circularity
Committed to an ambitious approach as a responsible manufacturer to limit its environmental impact, Arkema participates in voluntary initiatives to drive positive societal impact along the value chain and for the rational use of resources in its production activities, creating recycling loops to regenerate its materials.
We provide partially or fully recycled polymer grades certified through independent certifications and guarantee that our recycled high-performance materials have properties similar to virgin materials.